Newsletter – May 2021 English-Language On-Line Resource Expat-Ka.Com • [email protected]
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Newsletter – May 2021 English-language on-line resource expat-ka.com • [email protected] Spring 2021 in Pfinztal Dear Expats, Spring is in the air, the fruit trees are blooming, the forests are turning green and the days are getting longer – it’s even possible to get sunburn! The month of May is full of holidays, so even though travel isn’t recommended, you can still get out and enjoy the area. Holidays and Special Days in May May 1 — Labor Day (Maifeiertag). Official public holiday in all of Germany. It falls on a Saturday, so be sure to get your grocery shopping done on April 30th. May 9 — Mother’s Day in Germany. May 13 — Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt) Official public holiday in all of Germany. May 22 – June 5 — Pentecost Holidays for the Karlsruhe public school system. May 23 — Whit (Pentecost) Sunday (Pfingstsonntag) May 24 — Whit (Pentecost) Monday (Pfingstmontag) Official public holiday in Germany. Karlsruhe Neighborhoods This month we’ll start off with a non-Corona story! Did you know that Karlsruhe has 27 neighborhoods? Many of these were at one time separate towns as can be seen from the set-up of the important buildings and streets — a main street with shops and possibly a church, surrounded by streets with apartment buildings; or a main square surrounded by government buildings and shops. Many also still have their old town halls (Durlach, Grötzingen, Stupferich, Neureut and Wettersbach). Karlsruhe was founded in 1715, but many of the neighborhoods are much older. For instance, Grötzingen (in the eastern part of Karlsruhe) was first mentioned in a text in 991, but it is probably much older and only became a Karlsruhe neighborhood in 1974. It is known as the “Malerdorf” or artist colony. In 1889 the artist Friedrich Kallmorgen bought a summer house there, followed by other artists. Even today, many artists live in Grötzingen, have regular group exhibits and every two years host a day of “Open Studios”. Newsletter – May 2021 English-language on-line resource expat-ka.com • [email protected] Corona In the past, the German national government has met with the heads of the German states to discuss how best to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Then it was up to the states to apply the recommendations – or not — depending on the situation in each state. The German government found the possibility of a serious third wave so dire that a law was passed by the parliament and valid in all of Germany as of April 24, 2021, which states that if the regional 7-day incidence rate goes above 100 an Emergency Brake (“Notbremse”) goes into effect. This is all rather complicated – who is allowed to do what and when and under what circumstances based on the 7-day incidence rate? The City of Karlsruhe together with the Landkreis Karlsruhe have a website with the latest information pertaining to the region. New as of this week is a gray square on the main page with the most important information listing the current situation (April 30, 2021) as follows: Bundesnotbremse (Emergency Brake): aktiv (in effect) Schule (Schools): Wechselunterricht (mixture of in-school and distance learning) Shops: Click&Meet (Karlsruhe) or Click&Collect (Landkreis Karlsruhe) It is important to note that the 7-day-incidence rate listed in this section is not the same as that on the page “Aktuelle Fallzahlen im Detail” because one receives data from the regional public health department while the other receives data from the Robert Koch Institute, the latter being the important one for the Notbremse to go into effect. The most important recommendations haven’t changed: It is still recommended to avoid contact with those outside of your household. It is still recommended not to travel unless absolutely necessary. It is still recommended to do home office if your job allows it. It is still recommended to wear a mask in most situations. What also hasn’t changed is that Click&Collect is still available throughout Karlsruhe as well as in the surrounding towns. If you need to purchase something, check on the shop website or call the shop to see if they have what you need in stock. A time can be arranged to pick up the goods — some stores even offer (free) delivery service within the city. Contactless payment is requested, so you can either pay online or with an EC card at the shop. This is a great way to support the local shops. Many restaurants also offer take-out and delivery services, so if you don’t feel like cooking or forgot that May 1st is a holiday and grocery stores are closed, try them! The City Library System (Stadtbibliothek Karlsruhe) including the branch libraries (e.g. the American Library) is also offering Click&Collect (and Click&Meet) to check out books, DVDs and other media. Please check our website for current COVID-19 information affecting Karlsruhe. This gets updated regularly. Just a reminder: • If you are arriving in Germany by airplane, you must provide a negative Corona test which is not older than 48 hours. This must be provided by everyone, even those coming from low-risk regions. Many airlines require this before boarding. • Everyone in Germany has the right to one free weekly COVID-19 test. Many work places are providing workers with two free self-tests a week. Schools are requiring testing. • If you are in a vehicle with those from another household, all persons must wear a medical, FFP2 or N95 mask. • On public transportation, FFP2 or N95 masks must be worn if the incidence rate is above 100 - the simple medical masks are no longer sufficient. Newsletter – May 2021 English-language on-line resource expat-ka.com • [email protected] • If a Corona test is required (e.g.,job, travel), this must be carried out by professionals. A home test is not sufficient. • If your home test shows a positive result, you are required to get a PCR test as soon as possible. What to do in Karlsruhe in April Online events in English include: • International Come Together is a social event offering international professionals and students an opportunity to exchange ideas and make valuable contacts. The Welcome Center of the Technology Region Karlsruhe and the Rotary Club Karlsruhe-Fächerstadt are your hosts. Participation is free of charge. RSVP at welcome@technologieregion- karlsruhe.de. • Storytime for Kids 6 & Up and Teen Time at the American Library – more info here. • Karlsruhe Toastmasters in English – more info here. Relocation Service move-in With almost 20 years of experience in the region, Relocation Service move-in can help with your move to Karlsruhe, your move from Karlsruhe and with all those day-to-day problems expats experience. Check out the new Relocation Service move-in video clip to see how much easier life is if you let professionals help you deal with the strangeness of a new city and country. It can be found on YouTube here. If you enjoyed this newsletter, please pass it on! If you wish to be removed from the mailing list, please click here or send a reply to this newsletter with the text “unsubscribe.” This is a free English-language monthly newsletter from expat-karlsruhe. Current and past newsletters can be found on our website. Please contact us if you have any suggestions, questions or comments or if we are missing events you think might be interesting &/or useful to the expat community. Links to other websites in this newsletter are provided for your convenience. They do not signify that we endorse the website(s). We have no responsibility for the content of the linked website(s). [email protected] http://www.expat-ka.com/ .